Ruler



No; .s2|,529.v Patented Mar. 2|, |899. .1. A. MANGuLn. RULER."

(Application led Jan. 22, 1898.)

(rgb man.)

NITED STATES v"PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN A. MANGOLD, OF MOUNDSVILLE, WEST VIRGINIA.

RULER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 621,529, dated March21, 1899.

` Application filed January 22, 189s. sei-a1 No. 667,587. (No man.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I,JOHNA.MANGOLD, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at Moundsville, in the county of Marshall and State of WestVirginia, have invented a new and useful Ruler, of which the followingisa specification. v This invention relates to rulers, and has for itsparticular object to provide the ordinary ruler as now in common usewith a simple and convenient calendar, which can be readily changed tosuit each succeeding month, thereby providing in one article a combinedruler and perpetual calendar 'especially advantageous for use inschool-rooms and for office work. v

To this end the invention essentially con- Sists in providing a ruler orsimilar article with an elongated groove and a column of characters atone side of the groove in combination with a strip slidably tted in thegroove and having a column of characters cooperatingwith those at oneside of the groove and improved means for retaining the strip Within thegroove and preventing relative displacement thereof when adjusted to afixed position.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a ruler provided withmy improvements. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail transverse sectional View.Fig. 3 is an underneath perspective view of one of the spring capplates.Fig. 4 is a top plan view with the cap-plates removed. s

Referring to the drawings, numeral 1 designates a ruler of any of theusual forms, in one face of which is provided a longitudinal slot 2,extending nearly the whole length of the ruler or to any suitablelength, as desired. Mounted within thel slot 2 I provide a slide orstrip 3 somewhat shorter in length than the said slot in order toprovide for the necessary adjustment of the slide within the same. Thisslide fits easily within the slot, having its upper face preferablyflushwith the face of the ruler, and, as shown in Fig. 2, the lower edges arebeveled or rounded, as at 4, thus permitting the slide to be easily andreadily adjusted. The upper exposed face of the slide is preferablydivided into blocks orspaces 5 by means of transversed lines 6 pressedor sunk into the face of the slide.

Within these spaces are provided symbols designating the days of theWeek, arranged consecutively from one end of the slide to the other andcomprising a period of ve weeks and one or more days over.Similarly-formed spaces are provided upon the face of the ruler at oneside and adjacent to the slide corresponding innumber to the days of themonth and kindicated by numerals arranged within said spacesconsecutively from 1? to 31, inclusive. The spaces upon the slide andupon the face of the ruler are of the same length, and when any one ofthe spaces of. the slide is arranged to aline with the first space uponthe ruler the remaining spaces are accordingly alined, and thus you havethe days of the week arranged opposite the days of the month,consecutively from 1 to 31, in their proper relation.

The column of spaces containing the numerals designating the days of themonth should be arranged centrally between the ends of the slot, whilethe slide should be `of a length equal to at least six of these spaces,shorter than the slot, thus allowing the slide to be adjusted for alength equal to six spaces beyond either end of the month-column andlimited in its movement in either direction by the end walls 7 of theslot 2. By reason of the transverse lines 6 and the symbols designatingthe days of the Week being pressed into the face of the slide aconvenient roughened surface is provided, whereby the slide may beeffectively operated by placing the thumb or one of your ingers upon theface thereof and sliding the strip to its desired position.

To retain the sliding strip within the slot, I provide metalliccap-plates 8, secured to the face of the ruler, at each end of the slot.These plates preferably extend the full Width of the upper face of theruler and are secured thereto at each side of the slot by suitable tacksor rivets. As a means for locking the slide against accidentaldisplacement after being adjusted to a desired position the innerextremities of the cap-plates are extended to form spring-arms 9, of awidth corresponding to that of the slide, and one of the arms isprovided with a depending linger or lug 10,

adapted to enter suitable notches 11,formed in the upper face of theslide. The finger or lug lOiis preferably bent from the spring-arm 9 atits outer end and midway between the sides thereof, while the notches 1lare preferably arranged in the center of the width of the slide and atthe lines dividing the spaces. By this .arrangement the slide islpositively locked against accidental displacement and is always properlyalined with respect to the spaces of the month-column upon the face ofthe ruler. rlhe extremities of the spring-arms extend, respectively, toa point directly opposite the beginning of the month-column, so as notto cover up any of the symbols upon the slide. As will be readilyunderstood,the spring-arms bear upon the upper face of the slide to holdthe same in position, and the arm having the locking finger or lug maybe readily raised and disengaged from the notches in the slide by meansof the linger-nail, knife, or any other suitable means.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated the calendar as set for the month ofJanuary, 1898, which began on Saturday. This'view plainly shows therelative length of the slot and slidin g strip and also how the slidecarrying the symbols for the days oi' the week may be adjusted to suitthe several months of the year.

As my improvements may be applied to T- squares, triangles, or any ofthe other similar or analogous articles, and also as various changes inthe mounting and operation thereof may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope or sacrificing any of the advantages of myinvention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to theprecise construction and arrangement of details las herein shown anddescribed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is p l. Aruler or similar articleY provided with an elongated groove, and acolumn of characters at one side of the groove, a strip slidably tted inthe groove and of a shorter length than the same, said strip having acolumn of characters cooperating with those at one side of the groove,and retaining-plates closingin the ends of the groove, one of saidretainingplates having an interlocking-catchl engagement with one endportion of the slide, substantially as set forth.

2. A ruler or the like, provided with a longitudinal slot in one facethereof, a slide adjustably mounted within and somewhat shorter inlength than the slot, and cap-plates secured to the body of the ruler ateach end of the slot, said cap-plates being provided withspring-armsengaging with the top face of the slide, and one of saidspring-arms having a lug or finger for engagement with notches in theupper face of the slide, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A ruler or the like, provided with a slot, a sliding strip adjnstablymounted to move longitudinally Within said slot, and carrying a columnof grouped characters representing the days of the week, a stationarycolumn of characters representing the days of the month arrangedadjacent to and parallel with the column of characters upon the slidingstrip,- and a cap-'plate arranged at each extremity of the slot, eachcap-plate having a springarm resting upon the upper face of the slidingstrip to retain the same within the slot, one of the spring-arms havinga lug or finger for engagement with notches provided in the upper faceof the sliding strip, whereby the said strip may be locked againstaccidental displacement, after the sliding strip has been adjusted toany desired position, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOI-IN A. MANGOLD.

lVitnesses:

T. I-I. Co'rToN, CARROLL CHADDOCK.

